Such anomalies arise in infancy mainly through sucking by the child on the thumb, on fingers, or on sucking bodies. Frontal mouth plates cure this sucking habit. They are carried between the lips and the rows of teeth in the mouth. Injurious sucking is thereby prevented. Additionally, the carrying of the frontal mouth plate operates prophylactically. The training of the tooth position is thereby achieved and jaw anomalies averted. Finally, through the sucking action occurring during the wearing of the frontal mouth plate in infancy, an orthodontic effect on deformed deciduous teeth can be obtained, in which, through lip pressure and sucking of the apparatus against the teeth rows of the denture, tooth position and jaw anomalies are controlled as a form of early treatment.
Known frontal mouth plates are specially made and fitted to the respective patient. These apparatuses are, however, expensive and, according to the habits of the patients, frequently only with difficulty realize intended result.
Further it is known to employ prefabricated frontal mouth plates (cf. the paper of E. Schonherr: Report Regarding 10 Years Experience with Frontal Mouth Plates, in "Deutsche Stomatogie", Volume 21, March 1971, No. 3, Pages 217-223). Such frontal mouth plates are bent on a radius. The radii or curvatures vary according to a standardized progression. With the use of these plates, pressure points are observed. They hurt and disgust the child wearing the plate. To avoid such problems these frontal mouth plates are additionally fitted.
Frontal mouth plates are formed, as a rule, out of a special thermoplastic material. With prefabricated frontal mouth plates, a loop is inserted in a single piece projection of the plate, through which a ring is pulled which hinders the swallowing of the plate. In the projection, and also in the ring, the existing and particularly undercut, surfaces are difficult or impossible to clean and form breeding places for injurious germs.